This invention relates to enclosures for housing equipment, such as electrical (including electronic) equipment.
Electrical equipment frequently generates heat during its operation. This generated heat can raise the temperature of the equipment, causing operational problems or malfunction of the equipment. Therefore, it is desirable to provide cooling means for cooling such equipment.
It is known to provide an enclosure for electrical equipment with an air-moving fan located within the enclosure, the fan being arranged to blow air outwardly through a grille provided in the material of the enclosure. This causes a current of air to be drawn into the enclosure, via openings in the enclosure and/or via another grille, and over the equipment, thereby cooling the equipment. The air blown outwardly by the fan through its grille tends to generate noise as it passes through the grille. If the enclosure containing the equipment is located in a noise-sensitive environment such as an office or a financial institution such as a bank, for example, then it is desirable to minimize any generated noise, including the aforementioned noise generated by air blowing outwardly through the grille.
Another problem associated with fan cooling arrangements is that the fan should be mounted so as to prevent or minimize possible personal injuries resulting from human contact with rapidly moving fan blades. For this purpose, it will be appreciated that a fan grille should be constructed both to have adequate strength and to prevent, or reduce the possibility of, a person's finger, for example, from contacting the moving fan blades.